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Visiruim I
Much of Ketrab is buzzing about the pending ceremony at the Temple of the Martial Aspect. The head of the city's University, Hero Grayson, is going to pass his AE-I on to his protege, Atmei Zyrkoon. In attendance are many of the cities more influential people, the regent "Vandroiy" among them. As the ceremony begins, several of Hero's contemporaries say a few nice words (even Verdoon...somewhat), and then Hero and Atmei begin the transfer. But as it is about to be completed, screams erupt from the crowd, as several cloaked figures burst in the the doors, and demons fly in through the window. Hero is hit with a fireball, and then beheaded by one of the intruders. Having ceded Panoptica, he is unable to regenerate and dies instantly. While the crowd flees the building in terror, three men join with the troops present to beat off the attack. They are Ekko Kassade, a high ranking soldier,? Ursus Cogidubnus Rex, a fanatical monk (and Scotticus' son), and Yosef Nopex, the son of Dehvan and a demon hunter by trade. With the soldiers help, they beat back the attack and survey the damage. Looking over the bodies of the intruders, they notice the blonde hair belonging to those of the Visiru race. But why the sudden alliance with the demons? *Injured, the trio returns to the palace district, where Ekko pulls rank to get the party inside. They are summoned to see Scotticus (as Vandroiy, but to avoid further confusion, he will be referred to Scotticus from here on out) by his herald Xeru. Here they are questioned about the events that occurred at the temple. But one question they have no answer for; the whereabouts of Atmei Zyrkoon. After pledging fealty to Scotticus, the group is given the option of heading out to the city's shore, or to pursue demons located in Ketrab still. They head to the Temple of Bolubo, which is surrounded by demons and more of the cloaked men. Making there way inside, Ekko tries to conscript the temple priests into fighting off the hoard outside. They refuse, and a skirmish breaks out, only to be interrupted b Aloztaad, the leader of the Bolubo cult in the city. In talking to him, it appears that some kind of rift has formed between different factions of demons. With this knowledge, Ursus magically sends a message to the palace, asking for immediate aid in destroying the demon hoard. *The demons forces break in, and battle commences. The Bolubo priests aid the party, though tensions still run high between the two groups. It looks like they're about to be overrun, when Atmei suddenly returns, clearing out the temple with his powerful magic. After some discussion, the party tracks some of the Visiru through the sewers, and out by the docks. Yosef manages to grab one of the Visiru before he can escape, and the party brings him back to the palace for questioning. After being severely tortured by Ursus and a new member, Gor Einlancer, the prisoner transforms himself into a demonic form. After defeating him, Atmei is able to make a connection to the demon realm. After looking around, they stumble on several strange mirrors. The party realizes that they act as portals to different places around the continent. It is quickly agreed that these mirrors should be destroyed. Returning to Ketrab and the palace, the party is notified by Scotticus that they've learned where the Visiru who attacked them had retreated to. The party only had a short time to prepare, but they were about to set sail after the attackers. *After meeting with Scotticus and gaining some new weapons (and Yosef having a brief and frosty meeting with his brother), the party boards the Ketrabi's flagship, The Maelstrom. It is a part of the fleet of deadships, run by an undead crew, with human engineers and a group of mages known as the Pathfinders, who help Scotticus keep tabs on the mission. The vessel and mission is being captained by Ekko Kassade. After a few days at sea, chaos ensues, as the ship is assaulted by four large sea serpents. As the party tries to join the fight, they find the door to the deck bared by two soldiers. Ursus tries to use magic to convince the guards to open the door, but it has the opposite effect, as one of the guards kills the other, then himself (earning Ursus the ire of Gor). Taking on the serpents, the party proves their might, easily dispatching two while the rest of the crew defeated the others.? *That night, the party is invited to join in some festivities. Yosef parks himself in a corner, while Ursus and Gor partake in a game of sixes (and some grog). Low on money, Ursus offers up the services of Gor instead. He loses. Gor makes a large wager. He loses. Eventually, a huge brawl? erupts? (mostly instigated by the two), and Ursus kills one of the engineers, before quickly restoring him to life. The engineer responds by trying to stick Ursus with a knife, which is deflected by his breastplate. The engineers leave, vowing revenge. That morning, the party is awoken by an angry Ekko, who demands an explanation about what happened the prior night. Unsatisfied with their answers, the Pathfinders project the emperor into the cabin, who then? proceeds? to berate the party. They are then informed that they will be detained in their cabin for the time being. *Released from the cabin, the party makes their way to the deck after the? appearance? of mysterious lights in the distance. As they get closer, it appears to be another ship. Their is some indecision on whether or not to fire a warning shot, or to? immediately? attack, but the decision is made for them as the ship attacks, and demons board the Maelstrom! A huge battle ensues, and the party eventually defeats the demons, but the Maelstrom is badly damaged, and Ekko injured. The Pathfinders return, and Scotticus lets the party know that he wants the demon ship? intact. The Maelstrom is partially repaired, but now before another? serpent? attacks, wrecking the once mighty vessel. The party is able to be rescued by the demon ship, but that too gets attacked by the? serpent. Eventually, they wash up on the shore of their destination, the strange island they were sent to investigate. Exploring a bit, they stumble on what appears to be a demon camp. They are approached by a man, who looks like he is a mutated Visiru. He identifies himself as Hlathg'Ka, and seeing their ship and the appearance of Ursus, believes them to be allies. The party is being taken to see the mayor.